Character Sketch: Shelby
by jsk
Summary: Character Sketch: Shelby


Commander Shelby gasped in awe as she stepped onto the bridge of the USS  
Enterprise, the flagship of the Federation. Captain Picard stood on the  
main bridge, facing the large viewscreen, with his first Officer Commander  
Will Riker standing next to him. Shelby considered it a great honor to  
serve with Captain Picard, a man she regarded as truly great. He had  
accomplished so many things that many other Starfleet Captains could only  
dream about, had charted vast expanses of presviously unexplored Space,  
had a phenomenal crew, and now, he was being called upon by Starfleet to  
take on the ultimate challenge - to defeat the dreaded Borg. And he rose  
to the occasion without even a twinge of hesitation or fear. At Starfleet  
academy, "The Picard Maneuver" was part of the standard curriculum now.  
Yes, this was a great man indeed.  
  
Shelby smiled to herself. She had finally made it. It had not been easy,  
climbing the ranks of Starfleet, working hard, pushing herself until she  
thought that she could not take the stress and pressure anymore. But she  
had done it. She had done such excellent work that she had catapulted  
past her peers and found herself in a Commanders uniform in record time.  
It was one of the promises that she had made to herself. And when she had  
been awared the rank of Commander, she had finally permitted herself a  
celebration. But the next morning, it was back to work, pushing again,  
for the next goal. And this too, had been one of her goals. She  
distinctly remembered sitting the mess hall with Johannsen, grinning at  
him foolishly over the brim of her glass of synthehol.  
"I will set foot on the bridge of the Enterprise, before the end of next  
year," she had said. Johannsen's eyes had gone wide at first, but then he  
only laughed.  
"The Enterprise?" he had said, "you know how many people would want to  
serve on that ship, given the opportunity? Why, half the people in this  
room would drop whatever they're doing just to be given the chance to mop  
the floor on the Enterprise!"  
Shelby had nodded, her smile not wavering.  
"The others may wish. But *I* will do it," she had said. Johannsen had  
not believed her.  
  
And now here she was. Celebration would surely follow tonight. But for  
now, she had matters to attend to. She took her station behind the large  
Klingon warrior. It was curious, no other Starfleet vessel had a Klingon  
serving aboard. And none had an android either. She glanced in the  
direction of Lieutenant Commander Data, who sat at Ops, his fingers flying  
over the console. One could almost look at this crew as a group of  
misfits, and yet they consistently outperformed all of the other crews in  
the Federation put together. What was it about them? Something special.  
As her eyes roamed the bridge, Shelby sought out the reason. And then her  
eyes rested on Picard, and she knew it was him. It takes a fine captain  
to bring the best out in a crew, even a fine crew. As she continued her  
scan, she found herself looking at the first Officer, William T. Riker.  
Now here was a man that she did not understand. He was dashing, smart,  
debonair; certainly could sweep the ladies off their feet. He was much  
talked about by others, she had heard many stories of his conquests. And  
yet, there was something that she found unsettling, not quite right about  
him. He had been offered his own command three times. And he had passed  
it up every time. Now, as she looked at him, she noticed how he stood,  
and moved. Different from the stories. Not quite as carefree and  
swashbuckling. No, this was a different man completely. This one was  
cautious, concerned, *safe*. He suddenly took on a completely different  
form in front of her. He was now a plodding, slow, old man. He had lost  
his sense of urgency, his cutting-edge. He could not take the risks that  
were required. But he held the position that she so coveted. The number  
one goal on her list and the thing she most preciously desired. First  
Officer aboard the Enterprise. Now, he was no longer the stuff of  
legends. Now, William T. Riker was only in her way.  
  



End file.
